Free Luminescence (Luminescence Trilogy) by J.L. Weil Page B

finish dinner with Sophie’s help,” she said turning to her daughter.
    “But I was going to show Brianna around,” she protested.
    “I think Gavin can handle it.” Lily glanced back at. She had such an air of maternal instinct about her. “Brianna we would love for you to stay for dinner, Sophie especially.” Her smile only brightened her features.
    “Sure, thanks.”
    “Common on,” Gavin said, lacing his fingers with mine. “Let’s go before Sophie swindles her way out of kitchen duty.”
    I had already seen most of the main floor with the open layout the house had, so he took me up the winding staircase.
    “This is Sophie’s.” He indicated to the first room on the left.
    Her room was bohemian chic. An iron-wrought bed lay in the center of the room draped with bold jewel-toned bedding. A crystal embellished teal canopy tailored the corners of her bed. It looked like she had her own private bath off the room.
    Down the hall and to the right we came to another bedroom.
    “Jared should be here shortly. This is his.” Messy summed up Jared’s room in one word. The room looked and smelled like a fraternity.
    Our hands were still joined as he led me around. I loved the feeling of our entwined fingers and wasn’t willing to give his up any time soon. There was an underlying spark of awareness.
    “And this one is mine.” He walked into the room angled at the end of the hall.
    Gavin’s room wasn’t at all what I expected. I figured he’d have black walls and heavy metal posters, which made no sense since he didn’t actually listen to heavy metal. His room was much neater than Jared’s to my great pleasure. He did have a black framed bed with a book shelf as the headboard lined with black and white photos. A large stereo and TV housed with CDs, DVDs and an Xbox sat across the bed. The scent of him was everywhere – taunting me.
    It felt naughty being alone in his room. Not like the time we spent in mine.
    “Let me show you the best part.” He led the way to a set of French doors. They opened to a circular balcony with a spectacular view of the ocean just steps from the house.
    I leaned over the railings and inhaled the fresh air of the evening tide. “This is amazing,” I said in awe. “To wake up to this view every morning…” My voice trailed off, taken by the crashing waves.
    “You want to check it out?” he asked with excitement. Clearly he appreciated the sea as much as I did.
    I nodded my head.
    While we waited for dinner he took me for a walk along the ocean’s rocky shoreline. “What do your parents do?” I had removed my shoes earlier and my feet buried in the sand as we walked.
    “My dad is a historian and my mom is an artist,” he answered.
    “Did she paint the mural in the library?” I looked up into his face. Our arms swung together as we strolled on the beach.
    “She did. It’s not quite done yet,” he explained. “She paints a lot of mythology and folklore.”
    “It’s stunning,” I praised. Stopping, I bent down to grab a glittering shell that caught me eye.
    He looked out into the indigo vastness of the ocean. The sun was setting, casting an assortment of oranges and purples at the horizon.
    “It’s a depiction of Morgana le Fey.” His glance returned to me. “She reminds me of you.”
    I snorted, “Your kidding right? That painting was beautiful.”
    Nibbling on his lip ring he considered what I said, looking sinful and serious. “So are you.” His tone had lowered.
    I wanted more than anything for him to kiss me. Right there with the lapping waves and sea salt teasing my wits. Maybe if I thought about it hard enough I could somehow have what my heart desired.
    He took a step closer. The heat from his body infused mine and a sharp gasp escaped me lips. My head was lost on a turbulent of raw emotions. Kiss me now , my mind demanded .
    The depths of his eyes darken and his mouth crushed over my mine in an assault of power. Excitement rippled inside me like